why did Fender make the 3 hole bridge?

[Relsom]

The 3 hole bridges actual started in 2008. The fender stock American standard bridges are excellent. Don't know why you would change it in the first place.

My '98 and both Y2K Jazz basses all came stock with 3 hole bridges. The Badass III has 3 holes and is a drop in replacement, though I prefer the stock bridge.

 

[JakobT]

the weird thing about this thread is how so many people put their emotions into answers. I never said anything about being unhappy or having a problem with 3 holes vs 5. I just wanted to know why it was done.
The question was answered - string through bridge spacing... simple, direct and informative.. all the other comments say a lot more about the people commenting than my question does.

I’d say that was about par for the course here at TB.

Most social platforms require you to sift through a lot of chaff before you arrive at something useful, and a lot of posters will have strong opinions that aren’t necessarily well founded. In fact, I often find that the stronger the opinion, the less well founded it tends to be.

That said, this is far less prevalent on TB than in many other places, though you will run across the occasional exception that proves the rule.

Glad you found the information you were looking for.

 

[trickyric]

I’d say that was about par for the course here at TB.

Most social platforms require you to sift through a lot of chaff before you arrive at something useful, and a lot of posters will have strong opinions that aren’t necessarily well founded. In fact, I often find that the stronger the opinion, the less well founded it tends to be.

That said, this is far less prevalent on TB than in many other places, though you will run across the occasional exception that proves the rule.

Glad you found the information you were looking for.

Yes, I learned something that should have been obvious to me lol

 

[fhm555]

Fender has a tradition of….”frugality”. And it’s more than a couple of Pennie’s - probably in the neighborhood of half a buck, once you add in a bit of labor. Tell an accountant that, multiply half a buck by a decent number of units, and…. Look, we have a 3 hole bridge.

In a lot of situations it’s what can be afforded in a pre production budget. A dollar more per unit seems silly to base a decision on, until you realize financing for a million units must be in place before production begins, before any return on investment is realized. As for the three hole Fender bridge in question, their intent would likely be indicated by the presence of holes for string through, or lack thereof.

 

[fhm555]

I'm pretty sure Fender doesn't care if their holes line up with aftermarket products. Why would they?

If they don’t line up with aftermarket, ham and egger parts swappers can’t molest their basses without filling and drilling? Just spitballin here.

 

[tpaul]

I wanted 5 holes but I only got 3 and now I am sad.

Three holes was enough for your daddy and his daddy before him, and three holes should be enough for you too.

 

[Johnny Alien]

Hipshot offers other bridges in the 3 hole sting-through design specifically for Fender basses, so the real question is why don't they offer the kickass bridge in that design?

Because that bridge is not offered for string through body basses.

 

[HardNHeavy]

3 hole bridge from my 83' usa P.
not hi-mass nor string thru...Just looks like a cheap mf bridge to me.

 

[Ric5]

who makes this?

Schaller

 

[ezstep]

Jaco needed only three holes.....

 

[Durham52]

the weird thing about this thread is how so many people put their emotions into answers. I never said anything about being unhappy or having a problem with 3 holes vs 5. I just wanted to know why it was done.
The question was answered - string through bridge spacing... simple, direct and informative.. all the other comments say a lot more about the people commenting than my question does.

Maybe some of the answers you feel were emotive, or perhaps judgmental (?) weren't directed specifically at you, but were more responses to the comments following your OP?

Regardless of the intent of OP's, once threads are started, they tend to take on a life of their own and people respond to posts down the order, often without even reading the original post. Like face to face verbal conversations, conversations on line can run off on tangents. It's just people being people.

 

[trickyric]

Jaco needed only three holes.....

awesome!

 

[Jim C]

To me, the bigger question is why string through?
I don't believe there is any additional acoustic coupling and creating a sharper break angle for the string is never good.

 

[Dragan]

Why not? It obviously works.

 

[96tbird]

To me, the bigger question is why string through?
I don't believe there is any additional acoustic coupling and creating a sharper break angle for the string is never good.

The first ever production Precision bass was string through. We can speculate why it did, but ultimately Leo decided that’s how it was going to be. Link Removed

Too bad Leo died before the internet, I imagine if he was alive he’d be present here on TB and we could ask him.

 

[Bikeguy57]

thanks, that is all I wanted to know

Nice try! This thread will go on for ten pages, saying the same thing. Then someone will claim their Squire bridge is better.

 

[Jim C]

The first ever precision bass had string through. We can speculate why it did, but ultimately Leo decided that’s how it was going to be. Link Removed

True, but then he stopped for the next 10 years and CBS went at least another 10 years (if not 20) before the change. Sorry for the derail in this post as it really doesn't matter.

 

[Deleted member 271037]

Being an odd number, the center hole will match.

Not necessarily front to back (as in "how far from the nut will the saddles end up").

With a different type of bridge you will need to measure where the screw holes go or the intonation range may suffer. It doesn't matter if there are 3, 4 or 5 screw holes. There is no guarantee that the bridge will end up in the right position just because some (or even all) of the old screw holes will match. The only exception is of course when the new bridge is sold as a 100% drop in replacement for the old bridge.

 

[FunkHead]

the weird thing about this thread is how so many people put their emotions into answers. I never said anything about being unhappy or having a problem with 3 holes vs 5. I just wanted to know why it was done.
The question was answered - string through bridge spacing... simple, direct and informative.. all the other comments say a lot more about the people commenting than my question does.

I guess they "screwed" up.

 

[68Goldfish]

Alot of the Fender 3 hole bridges are on bodies that are string-thru models.

Guessing there's limited space for screws if you're trying to run strings through the body?

This would be my guess. It's more about the gimmick (selling point) of strung through body than anything else.